April 30th

April 30, 2014

PROVIDENCE â€“ With a minimum of fanfare, and no official recognition from the dais, Rep. Gordon Fox took his seat on the floor of the House of Representatives Wednesday, the first time he entered the chamber since he resigned the speakerâ€™s gavel in the wake of a March 21 raid on his Statehouse office by state and federal law enforcement officials.
He was greeted cordially by some representatives and staff, shaking hands and kissing cheeks as he made his appearance.

April 30, 2014

PAWTUCKETâ€”The details behind a proposed, three-year cost of living adjustment (COLA) freeze for Pawtucket Police and Fire Department retirees and their beneficiaries will be outlined at a meeting at Tolman High School on Thursday, May 15, at 6 p.m.

April 29th

April 29, 2014

CENTRAL FALLS â€“ Most of the time, when members of a community see police officers, they are usually on duty or patrolling the streets in their police cruisers.

That can create a gap of sorts between officers and the residents they serve, a gap that R.I. State Police Col. Steven Oâ€™Donnell and others involved in the State Police â€śNew Beginnings Community Outreach Initiative,â€ť hope to close.

April 29, 2014

PAWTUCKET â€” In the wake of a recent crackdown by the City Council on those collecting money and/or panhandling on city streets, one local sports team president is raising an objection to the ban and also questioning what this means to the national firefightersâ€™ â€śFill the Bootâ€ť campaign for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

April 28th

April 28, 2014

CENTRAL FALLSâ€”A century-old weaving mill that once depended on the Blackstone River to operate is now using the waterway as a scenic and recreational lure of potential tenants.
With the river gleaming brightly in the background, state and local officials on Monday gathered to break ground on 90 new residential units at M Residential on 521 Roosevelt Ave. This housing will join an already existing 70 units and represents the final stage in the second phase of a residential mill rehabilitation that spans a city block.

April 25th

April 25, 2014

By

Times Staff

LINCOLN â€” The Department of Environmental Management and the Department of Health are advising people in the area of Lower Road in Lincoln that a neighborhood cat that attacked a resident and exposed two other persons on April 17 has tested positive for rabies. These individuals have started treatment with rabies vaccine.

April 24th

April 24, 2014

PAWTUCKET â€” Whether its a gaggle of young dancers or gymnasts with money jars or a lone jobless person with a cardboard sign, the act of begging for cash from motorists at stoplights and busy intersections is one that has drawn the ire and concern of residents and city officials alike.
Putting public safety at the forefront of its decision, the City Council on Wednesday night voted to have Police Chief Paul King begin enforcing an existing city ordinance that prohibits people from soliciting money from drivers at intersections.

April 23rd

April 23, 2014

PAWTUCKET â€“ Touting the verities of education, job creation and capital-D Democratic values, three of the Democrats running for governor vied for the favor of their partyâ€™s city and town chairmen on Tuesday.
Democrats Gina Raimondo, Angel Taveras and Clay Pell made brief presentations to the RI Association of State Democratic City and Town Chairmen (RI ASDCTC) at Le Foyer ahead of that groupâ€™s endorsement vote scheduled for next month.

April 22nd

April 22, 2014

LINCOLN -- Firefighters doused a blaze at 6 Winterberry Court Tuesday night after a freezer in the garage at the home started to smoke and then caught fire sending flames shooting through the roof of the structure. The fire broke out at about 7:30 p.m. No one was injured. For details and photos pick up Wednesdayâ€™s newspaper.

April 22, 2014

CENTRAL FALLS â€” While city officials say there hasn't been a multitude of applicants, they are trying to make sure that any massage parlors that come to town are operating above board.
On Wednesday, the City Council will hold a public hearing to consider second passage of an ordinance amending its â€śPersonal Services Licenseâ€ť to add a sub-section on â€śMassage Parlor Public Health Ordinance.â€ť
According to City Council President Bob Ferri, the amendment seeks to tighten the regulations under which massage parlors are licensed and allowed to operate.

April 21st

April 21, 2014

PAWTUCKETâ€”Calling it more of his â€śbuilding a bridge to progressâ€ť campaign theme, Mayor Donald Grebien has come up with a proposed $112.3 million city operating budget for fiscal year 2015 that provides additional revenue in some key areas while promising a zero tax increase.
The spending plan is about $1.6 million higher than the current fiscal year's budget of $110.7 million, reflecting an increase of 1.47 percent. The proposal involved no property tax increase for home or business owners and no increase in taxes for tangibles or motor vehicles.

April 20th

April 20, 2014

PAWTUCKET â€” In news that was sweet as her recipe, Gianna Casto, a 9-year-old student at Fallon Memorial Elementary School, made it all the way to the regional finals in Sodexoâ€™s fourth annual Future Chefs National Challenge.

Casto, in Grade 4, first entered the Pawtucket Future Chefs competition held at her school last month. According to Solange Morrissette, general manager of Sodexo, the students were asked to create a â€śhealthy sandwichâ€ť recipe, and Casto impressed the panel of local judges with her â€śHawaiian Delight for Vegetarians.â€ť

Full story appears on page A1 of Monday's Times.

April 17th

April 17, 2014

PAWTUCKETâ€”Facing what would have been a third trial in the fatal shooting of his former girlfriend in 2008, a Pawtucket man on Wednesday pleaded guilty to second degree murder.
Juan L. Diaz, 30, entered the plea before Superior Court Judge Netti C. Vogel to second degree murder in the shooting death of Mayra Cruz. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 22.

April 16th

April 16, 2014

PAWTUCKETâ€”While acknowledging it will undergo changes in the coming months, the School Committee unanimously approved a new School Department budget of approximately $107 million for the upcoming fiscal year at its committee meeting on Tuesday.

April 15th

April 15, 2014

PAWTUCKETâ€”Now that he's done watching the weather forecasts for snowstorms, it's heavy rain that DPW Director Lance Hill is keeping an uneasy eye on.
As has happened in recent weeks, rain water leaked into the City Hall tower and caused the main elevator to malfunction. The elevator is once again operational, but the years-old leakage problem in the Art Deco-style tower that contains it is a recurring one with no easy (or cheap) solution in sight.

April 13th

April 13, 2014

PAWTUCKET â€” Just as a gently used item can be â€śnewâ€ť to someone else, taking a fresh look at familiar places â€” especially those steeped in history â€” can yield pleasant surprises. Along those lines, this yearâ€™s kickoff event celebrating National Travel and Tourism Week on Saturday, May 3, features the Blackstone Valley, and Pawtucket in particular, in two of nine tours.

April 11th

April 11, 2014

PAWTUCKETâ€”A third suspect has been arrested for his alleged involvement in the Dec. 24 shooting death of 21-year-old Ryan Almeida at Galego Court, Pawtucket Police announced Friday.

On Thursday, April 10, Pawtucket Police arrested Tyron M. Wilcox, 21, of 6 Ware Court in Providence. He was taken into custody in Providence with assistance from the Rhode Island State Police Fugitives Task Force and the U.S. Marshals Service, said Major Arthur Martins.

April 10th

April 10, 2014

PAWTUCKETâ€”About three and a half months after the shooting death of 21-year-old Ryan Almeida at Galego Court, a 20-year-old Providence man was apprehended in Maine and charged with his murder. Pawtucket Police also say that a 17-year-old male has been charged in the crime and one or more additional arrests may be imminent.

April 9th

April 9, 2014

LINCOLNâ€”The State Police Computer Crimes Unit and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested a 21-year-old local man Wednesday on charges related to the alleged child molestation of an 11-year-old Coventry boy, according to Col. Steven G. Oâ€™Donnell, state police superintendent.